Oops: Florida Republican Forgets To Remove ALEC Mission Statement From Boilerplate Anti-Tax Bill

[ProSense]

Oops: Florida Republican Forgets To Remove ALEC Mission Statement From Boilerplate Anti-Tax Bill

By Alex Seitz-Wald

Progressives have long tried to expose the influence the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) wields in state house across the country, but one Florida lawmaker is making it too easy.

Funded almost entirely by large corporations, ALEC produces “model legislation” favorable to industry that state lawmakers can introduce as their own bills. Usually, the legislators tweak the language of the bills to make them state-specific or to obfuscate their origins. Usually, but apparently not always.

In November, Florida state Rep. Rachel Burgin (R) introduced a resolution (PDF here) that would officially call on the federal government to reduce corporate taxes, but she apparently forgot to remove ALEC’s mission statement from the top of the bill, which she seems to have copied word-for-word from ALEC’s model bill:



As the government transparency group Common Cause reports, “Burgin quickly withdrew the bill hoping that no one had noticed and then re-introduced it 24-hours later, with a new bill number (HM 717), but now without the problematic paragraph.” Apparently no one noticed until this week.

- more -

http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2012/02/02/417488/florida-gop-alec-forget/

The right wingers were getting excited and ahead of themselves.

[Angry Dragon]

1. Good Find

[Mopar151]

2. Same all over

The Teabaggers who were elected by local voters represent ALEC instead.

[think]

3. K&R

[Rex]

4. UGH.

Amazing. It is becoming more and more apparent the GOPers are for an American plutocracy. They don't even take the time to hide it anymore. That should disqualify them from office imo.

[Scuba]

5. Evil and lazy.

[sufrommich]

6. I read this yesterday, both sad and hilarious. nt

[tallahasseedem]

7. K&R

They're not trying anymore, are they?

[slay]

8. Excellent find - ALEC is a horrible group

just like republicans are horrible people - and they need to be exposed when and where ever possible. k&r.

[Uncle Joe]

9. Even their mission statement is a lie, they don't support "individual liberty," nor

"limited government," they just don't want government putting a check on corporate abuse, they don't give a rat's ass about the individual.

They support corporate supremacy over the individual and the people's representative government, curbing voting rights is just one example of ALEC's tactics to obtain their ends.

"While it’s no secret by now that conservative lawmakers in state capitals everywhere have used ALEC’s legislation to tear down environmental and labor regulations, curb voting rights, and coordinate a business-friendly agenda nationwide, it’s rare to see it on display so clearly."


Thanks for the thread, Prosense.

[tledford]

10. A "memorial" to the Congress of the United States?

Who died?

[ProSense]

11. We

"Who died?"

...the people, in that context.

[muriel_volestrangler]

12. I don't know whether to laugh or cry

Exposing Republican state legislators as stupid puppets is bittersweet.

[PhoenixAbove]

13. K&R n/t

[onethatcares]

14. have these people ever read what Jeffersonian Principles are?

because a quick overlook at Wikipedia causes one to think they've never read anything Jeffersonian.

Or do they just throw out the word and their minions believe they're intelligent.

[Scurrilous]

15. K & R